UMaine Workshop Will Help Growers Meet Rising Demand for Organic Grain
Contact: Rick Kersbergen, 800-287-1426
ORONO, Me. — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will sponsor an organic grain production workshop from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Thursday Dec. 14. It is scheduled for the Bease Building in Albion Registration, which includes lunch, is $10. Preregistration is required by calling 800-287-1426 (in Maine) or 207-342-5971.
The rapid growth in organic dairy farms in Maine has increased the demand for organic grains to feed livestock. The market for organic grains for bread and other products for human consumption is also growing.
The workshop will feature three growers from Vermont who will discuss production techniques they use for growing small grains, corn and soybeans. In other workshops, Jim Amaral from Borealis Breads and Matt Williams from Aurora Mills will address selling to human consumption markets. Tim Griffin from USDA New England Plant, Soil and Water Lab will share information on collaborative grain research at the University of Maine and the University of Vermont. Heather Darby from the University of Vermont will discuss soybean culture and Tom Molloy will present research from Europe on weed control in small grains.
Funding for this project is being provided by a Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) project to expand grain production and use on organic dairy farms in Maine and Vermont.